NOW Broadband Review 2023 - Is NOW Broadband Any Good?

Review article by Steve Tattersall, Broadband Technology Writer, last updated 13 November 2023

What We Like (Pros): Cheaper broadband compared to others, shorter 12-month contracts, broadband with no contract also available, flexible low cost TV packages containing top Sky channels, quick call answering time when I tested phoning them (1 minute, 10 seconds)

What We Dislike (Cons): No ultrafast full fibre speeds, no Total Wi-Fi option to extend Wi-Fi signal to every corner of your home, high upfront fee for no contract broadband, no gift cards or other incentives for new customers

Our Verdict: 4 out of 5 4 Star Rating

In this review: 1. Introduction 2. NOW Broadband - At a glance 3. NOW Broadband speeds & performance 4. NOW Broadband prices 5. Comparable services: NOW Fibre versus BT Fibre & Sky Fibre 6. NOW Broadband home phone review 7. NOW Broadband, phone & TV deals 8. NOW package & router details 9. NOW Entertainment Membership 10. Switching, installation & setup 11. NOW Broadband customer service 12. Questions & answers 13. Our final verdict on NOW Broadband

1. Introduction

As you're likely to know, NOW, the Internet television service owned by Sky plc, offers the best of pay TV, but without a contract. Customers can enjoy Sky Sports, Sky Cinema & Sky Entertainment on flexible day, weekly or monthly memberships.

NOW Broadband, which uses the same Openreach network as Sky Broadband, is a no contract broadband offering from NOW. Users can enjoy totally unlimited fibre broadband including phone line rental and without a contract from just £23 a month.

In this review, we take a closer look at NOW Broadband, uncovering what their download speeds are really like and whether their customer service is any good. We'll tell you what we like and dislike about NOW Broadband and compare NOW with Sky and BT. It's then up to you to decide whether you want to switch to them. If you do, you can start your NOW Broadband order from this page.

2. NOW Broadband - At A Glance

Average broadband speeds: Broadband 11Mbps, Fab Fibre 36Mbps, Super Fibre 63Mbps. There's no speeds above 63Mbps at the moment

NOW Broadband prices: £20p/m for Broadband, £23p/m for Fab Fibre, £23p/m for Super Fibre

Limited time offers: no activation/setup fee on 12 month contracts (£60 setup fee required for broadband wthout a contract which seems a bit high to me), add NOW Entertainment Membership when taking any NOW Broadband package from just £6.99p/m, add Cinema Membership (Sky Cinema) from £9.99p/m, add Sports Membership (Sky Sports) from £26p/m

NOW Broadband customer complaints Q2 2023: 13 complaints per 100,000 customers, (less than rivals Vodafone, TalkTalk & Virgin Media) but just above the industry average of 12 per 100,000 (Source: Latest Ofcom Telecoms & Pay TV Complaints Report, published 19th October 2023)

Easy ordering & switching: I was able to place my NOW Broadband order online in just over 5 minutes. If you're with the likes of BT, TalkTalk, EE or Plusnet (or any other provider that uses a BT Openreach phone line), NOW Broadband will handle the switchover for you and take care of any hassle. An engineer visit is not required for most new customers switching to NOW Broadband

3. NOW Broadband Speeds & Performance

The average NOW broadband speeds of 11Mbps for their Brilliant Broadband, 36Mbps for their Fab Fibre and 63Mbps for their Super Fibre are in-line with the average broadband speeds of the UK's main broadband suppliers, except the cable operator Virgin Media.

Brilliant Broadband

With average download speeds of 11Mbps, Brilliant Broadband is suitable for small households that want to browse online, do internet banking and watch catch up TV with minimal buffering.

Fab Fibre

Perfect for larger households, Fab Fibre with average download speeds of 36Mbps, enables multiple users to play online games, download music and stream live TV with minimal disruptions.

Super Fibre

Designed for large family households using the Internet at the same time, Super Fibre with average download speeds of 63Mbps enables you to do all of the above, plus stream HD TV to multiple screens and download large files.

It's worth noting that the NOW Broadband average download speeds quoted above are available to at least 50% of NOW Broadband customers at peak internet traffic times, which are 8pm-10pm, 7 days a week.

So, how do the advertised download speeds of NOW Broadband compare with their average 24-hour real world speeds? Taking a look at Ofcom's latest UK Home Broadband Performance Chart Data (published in September 2023), we can see that Sky's advertised average 61Mbps FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) speeds (in effect NOW Super Fibre 63Mbps Broadband) were 64.65Mbps with a 11.07 milliesecond (ms) latency/ping rate. It's good to see the actual NOW Broadband speeds pretty much match the speeds they advertise.

Finally, no peak time traffic management is operated by NOW Broadband, which means Internet speeds won't be reduced at these peak traffic times.

4. Compare NOW Broadband Prices

In the NOW Broadband SALE, prices start from just £23 a month for NOW Fibre Broadband. Each package has no download usage limits and currently benefits from no setup fee. An extra £60 setup fee applies if you take a broadband or fibre package without a contract that you can cancel at anytime.

* Please note prices may change during the contract

Provider	Package Details	Average Speed*	Download Limit	Contract Period	Costs	More Info
*Average speed: 11Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £250, £20	NOW Brilliant Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines * Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during the contract period	11Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £20.00* 1st year cost: £250.00 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Add The NOW Entertainment Membership From £6.99p/m, Sky Cinema For £9.99p/m Or Sky Sports For £26p/m
*Average speed: 36Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £286, £23	NOW Fab Fibre Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines * Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during the contract period	36Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £23.00* 1st year cost: £286.00 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Add The NOW Entertainment Membership From £6.99p/m, Sky Cinema For £9.99p/m Or Sky Sports For £26p/m
*Average speed: 63Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £286, £23	NOW Super Fibre Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines * Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during the contract period	63Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £23.00* 1st year cost: £286.00 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Add The NOW Entertainment Membership From £6.99p/m, Sky Cinema For £9.99p/m Or Sky Sports For £26p/m

5. Comparable Services: NOW Fibre Broadband Versus BT Fibre & Sky Fibre

How does NOW Fibre Broadband stack up against some of its competitors? Use the table below to compare the speeds and prices of NOW Fibre Broadband versus BT Fibre and Sky Fibre. Use our fibre broadband checker to compare NOW Fibre Broadband with other suppliers.

* Please note prices may change during the contract

Provider	Package Details	Average Speed*	Download Limit	Contract Period	Costs	More Info
*Average speed: 63Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £286, £23	NOW Super Fibre Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines * Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during the contract period	63Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £23.00* 1st year cost: £286.00 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Add The NOW Entertainment Membership From £6.99p/m, Sky Cinema For £9.99p/m Or Sky Sports For £26p/m
*Average Speed: 61Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £300, £25	Unlimited Sky Broadband Superfast + Unlimited Sky WiFi + Sky Talk Pay As You Go Calls To UK Landlines & Mobiles * For 18 months. Includes Sky phone line rental. Pricing may change during this 18 month period	61Mbps	Unlimited	18 months	Monthly cost £25.00* 1st year cost: £300.00 £0.00 setup	No Setup Fee + FREE McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial Find out more at Sky Includes Sky Wall To Wall Wi-Fi Guarantee
*Average speed: 67Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £0 setup, 1st year cost £323.91, £0	BT Fibre 2 Broadband *For 3 months, £35.99p/m after. No landline phone service included (can be added if required). Annual price increase applies	67Mbps	Unlimited	24 months	Monthly cost £0.00* 1st year cost: £323.91 £0.00 setup	3 Months FREE + No Upfront Cost + Add BT TV Sport For £1p/m For 3 Months Find out more at BT £50 BT Reward Card To Spend

6. NOW Broadband Home Phone Review

The price of NOW Broadband packages include home phone line rental. Customers will then only get charged for the calls they make each month on a pay as you use basis in line with NOW Broadband's latest call charges.

Other home phone calling plans are available if a customer uses their home phone regularly. The NOW Broadband Evenings and Weekends call package to UK landlines and mobiles can be added for an extra £4 a month - which I think is pretty good value. Alternatively, pay an extra £8 a month for anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles.

7. Compare NOW Broadband, Phone & TV Deals

The NOW Broadband, Phone & TV packages below are just a selection and feature NOW Entertainment Membership which serves up 11 premium TV channels that are not on Freeview - like Sky Atlantic, Sky One and Fox. There's also over 300 box sets on demand to watch. Sky Cinema and Sky Sports memberships can easily be added with prices from £9.99 per month and £26 a month respectively.

* Please note prices may change during the contract

Provider	Package Details	Average Speed*	Download Limit	Contract Period	Costs	More Info
*Average speed: 11Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £333.88, £26.99	NOW Brilliant Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines + TV Entertainment Membership (Includes 11 Pay TV Channels Not On Freeview Like Sky Atlantic, Sky One & Fox + 300 Box Sets On Demand) * p/m for 12 months. Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during this period	11Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £26.99* 1st year cost: £333.88 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Includes NOW Entertainment Membership For 12 Months
*Average speed: 36Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £369.88, £29.99	NOW Fab Fibre Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines + TV Entertainment Membership (Includes 11 Pay TV Channels Not On Freeview Like Sky Atlantic, Sky One & Fox + 300 Box Sets On Demand) * p/m for 12 months. Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during this period	36Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £29.99* 1st year cost: £369.88 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Includes NOW Entertainment Membership For 12 Months
*Average speed: 63Mbps*, Download limit: Unlimited, £10 delivery, 1st year cost £369.88, £29.99	NOW Super Fibre Broadband + Pay As You Use Calls To UK Landlines + TV Entertainment Membership (Includes 11 Pay TV Channels Not On Freeview Like Sky Atlantic, Sky One & Fox + 300 Box Sets On Demand) * p/m for 12 months. Includes phone line rental. Prices may change during this period	63Mbps	Unlimited	12 months	Monthly cost £29.99* 1st year cost: £369.88 £10.00 delivery	No Setup Fee Find out more at NOW Broadband Includes NOW Entertainment Membership For 12 Months

8. NOW Broadband Package & Router Details

There's three NOW broadband and home phone packages available with fibre prices starting from £23 a month for average peak time speeds of 36Mbps, phone line rental and pay as you use calls to UK landlines and mobiles. We've detailed the Super Fibre package below with average 63Mbps speeds:

NOW Super Fibre With Home Phone Pay As You Use Calls

What You Get:

Average fibre download speeds of 63Mbps
Unlimited downloads so you can stream and download as much as you want without any additional charges
The FREE NOW Broadband Hub 2 wireless router which is a dual-band 802.11ac router with two 1GB LAN ports (I think it could probably do with a few more ports to be honest)
The NOW Hub 2 wireless router is an impressive router with excellent Wi-Fi range and the highest level of Wi-Fi security. From a design point of view, it looks and feels pretty sleek and is similar to the latest Sky Q Hub
NOW Broadband Buddy Internet security providing protection from malware-infected and phishing websites, plus there's parental controls to help keep your children safe online. Seperate anti-virus software is also recommended to make sure your broadband is fully secure
Customer support and broadband helpline available over the phone or on live chat from 8am to 11pm
Pay as you use home phone calls to UK landlines & mobiles. This means you can make calls at anytime and only be charged for the calls you make in accordance with NOW Broadband's latest phone call tariff
Customers can add the NOW Broadband Evenings and Weekends call package to UK landlines and mobiles for an extra £4 a month, or pay an extra £8 a month for anytime calls
NOW Broadband phone line rental is included in the overrall NOW Broadband monthly price
12 month contract applies, with a no contract option available so long as a £60 setup fee is paid
Add the NOW Entertainment Membership with Fab Fibre. This TV Membership serves up 11 pay-tv channels like Sky Atlantic and Fox that are not available on Freeview. There's also 300 box-sets on demand. See further below for a full list of TV channels available in the Entertainment Membership
Cost is £23 per month for the duration of the 12 month contract
One-off £15 setup fee which covers service activation is currently waived. £10 router delivery fee applies. If you need a new phone line installed or re-connected, NOW Broadband will advise you of the charge during the sign-up process
Please click here for further information at NOW Broadband

9. What Channels Are In The NOW Entertainment Membership?

In addition to over 300 box sets on demand, the NOW Entertainment Membership has the following channels available to stream live or on demand:

Sky 1
Sky Atlantic with shows like Dreamland and Succession
GOLD
Comedy Central
Sky Arts
ITV Encore
Fox
MTV
Discovery Channel
National Geographic Wild
ABC Studios

10. Switching, Installation & Setup

How Easy Is It To Switch To NOW Broadband?

It should be straight-forward to change your broadband supplier to NOW Broadband. If you are switching from a non-cable provider such as BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk or EE, once you place your NOW Broadband order, the NOW Broadband switching team will take care of the rest.

They'll contact your existing supplier and manage the process of switching your phone line over to NOW Broadband remotely. You'll be sent the NOW Hub 2 Wi-Fi router in the post with a Welcome Pack. Once your phone line is successfully registered with NOW Broadband, you can then plug in your Hub Two and get up and running. Your previous broadband and phone service will be cancelled automatically, though I always check this for myself.

Naturally, NOW Broadband will also co-ordinate various dates to ensure you're not without broadband at any stage during the switching process.

It's likely that your NOW Broadband speeds will vary during the first 10 days following service activation. This happened to me and is entirely normal as the line optimises to detect the most stable broadband speeds for you.

What About Switching From Virgin Media To NOW Broadband?

When switching from a cable provider like Virgin Media, you will need to cancel your services with them yourself. Please only do this once your phone line is registered with NOW Broadband. To ensure you don't lose any service, it is advisable to keep your Virgin Media services active until the day after you transfer to NOW Broadband.

11. NOW Broadband Customer Service, Performance, Support & Phone Numbers

If you have a problem with your NOW Broadband, you can check your network status and find out how to fix your line using their online technical checks help service. The NOW Broadband Helpline team can be contacted via the live webchat service and over the phone on 03300 412473 from 8am-11pm. Average call waiting times are just 51 seconds according to Ofcom's Comparing Customer Service Report 2022. It was a bit longer for me when I tested phoning them (1 minute, 10 seconds). There's also a comprehensive range of online help guides (which I found to be very useful) and a vast online community on hand to answer your questions. All calls made to the Helpline using your NOW Broadband landline are free of charge.

Looking at customer complaint levels for NOW Broadband, Ofcom's most recent Telecoms & Pay TV Complaints Report, published in October 2023, showed 13 complaints per 100,000 NOW Broadband customers for the period Q2 2023. This is an increase on the previous quarter, but still lower than the likes of Vodafone, TalkTalk & Virgin Media. It is just above the industry average of 12 complaints per 100,000 customers. Read the Ofcom Q2 2023 Telecoms & Pay TV Complaints Report for further details.

12. Questions & Answers

Question 1. Is NOW Broadband WiFi any good?

Answer 1. Yes it is. It's cheaper than most of its rivals and has a shorter 12-month contract and no contract option. It's just a shame NOW doesn't offer any speeds faster than 63Mbps at the moment.

Question 2. Is NOW Broadband or Sky Broadband better?

Answer 2. I'd say Sky Broadband is better as they also offer ultrafast full fibre (FTTP) speeds ranging from 150Mbps all the way up to 900Mbps.

Question 3. How long does it take to set up NOW Broadband?

Answer 3. From the point of ordering, it takes about 2 weeks to get set up with NOW Broadband. This can sometimes be longer if a new phone line needs to be installed by an engineer.

13. Our Final Verdict On NOW Broadband

NOW Broadband Review - Our Final Comment And Rating
Final Rating - 4 out of 5
The NOW Broadband packages, including phone line rental, are shaking up the market with fibre prices starting from just £23 a month on a shorter 12 month contract. There's also a handy broadband with no contract option, though this has a £60 setup fee. Each package has an unlimited download usage allowance and feature average download speeds that are in line with the speeds of the other major UK broadband suppliers. With average fibre download speeds of 63Mbps available, the NOW Broadband packages serve up a range of value for money propositions that are certainly worth considering. No contract pay TV daily, weekly and monthly memberships for premium content like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema can also be easily added and removed.

NOW Broadband Review - Our Final Comment And Rating

Final Rating - 4 out of 5 4 Star Rating

The NOW Broadband packages, including phone line rental, are shaking up the market with fibre prices starting from just £23 a month on a shorter 12 month contract. There's also a handy broadband with no contract option, though this has a £60 setup fee.

Each package has an unlimited download usage allowance and feature average download speeds that are in line with the speeds of the other major UK broadband suppliers.

With average fibre download speeds of 63Mbps available, the NOW Broadband packages serve up a range of value for money propositions that are certainly worth considering. No contract pay TV daily, weekly and monthly memberships for premium content like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema can also be easily added and removed.

Latest NOW Broadband Reviews & Ratings By Customers

If you're unsure as to some of the terms used on this page, please read our beginner's guide to broadband or our guide to switching supplier.

Important note

We are not NOW Broadband, NOW or Sky plc. We do not provide broadband, phone or TV connections ourselves. Should you have a problem with your NOW Broadband order or connection, we advise you to contact NOW Broadband or NOW directly.

We specialise in offering you independent advice, reviews and tools that should help you choose the right broadband provider and package for you. We provide this impartial service to you for free, whilst being paid a small commission from each ISP we generate a new customer for - so we are like an Independent Financial Advisor. You do not pay any extra for your chosen broadband, calls or TV package by signing up through this site.

About The Author, Steve Tattersall

Steve Tattersall is a broadband technology writer with 20 years experience within the Internet industry. Based in Hampshire, England, he founded the BBC recognised broadband information site, BroadbandInternetUk.com, in 2004 and is currently the Director Of Marketing & Operations. During this time he has helped thousands of people across the UK with their Internet requirements by compiling a comprehensive range of broadband information, comparison tools and guides, all delivered on BroadbandInternetUk.com. A graduate of Buckinghamshire New University (Brunel Business School) with a first class honours degree in Business, Steve has first hand experience of working for a broadband provider, having had a previous career at the broadband supplier NTL. Following its merger with rival Telewest, NTL is now known as Virgin Media, one of the UK's leading broadband, phone & TV providers. If you would like to contact Steve, please visit the contact us page or follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn and Quora. You can also find out more about BroadbandInternetUk.com on our about us page.

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